Organizations struggle to meet deadline under fire sprinkler law

Thursday

Clubs and veterans groups are struggling to find the money and meet the deadline to install fire sprinklers under a state law passed following The Station nightclub fire

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Highland Avenue may be staking its future at the poker table.

At the Knights of Columbus on Teed Drive, the planning hasn’t gotten that far.

Like other fraternal organizations and nightclubs around the state, the two groups are facing a Nov. 15 deadline for installing sprinkler systems to prevent fires from spreading. The systems are required by a state law adopted in the wake of the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island that claimed 100 lives.

The law applies to establishments with a seating capacity of more than 100 that is used or occupied as a nightclub, discotheque, dance hall, bar or for similar entertainment purposes. Exempted from the law are lecture halls, restaurants and houses of worship.

The systems must be installed and in operation by Nov. 15. Failure to comply could lead to the closing of the establishment and loss of the liquor license.

VFW Commander Ted Smith said the group falls under the law because it has a capacity of 200 and hosts dances.

So far, the VFW Post has spent $37,000 to install a sprinkler system and connect it to a water main, Smith said. It still needs to spend another $14,000 to $16,000 for smoke detectors and to hook up an alarm system linked to the fire department.

The cost of the system has been a strain on the veterans group, which has about 170 members, most of whom are inactive. The post has taken out a loan to help pay for the system, but it wasn’t enough to cover the full cost, he said.

“We’ve had to turn down a lot of requests for donations in trying to scratch together enough to get this done,” Smith said. “I’d hate to be the last commander of the post. We’ve done a lot of good things.

The post is hoping to raise the money to pay for the remainder of the system with two Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournaments on Friday and on Oct. 18. Doors open at 5 p.m. with play starting at 7 p.m. The entry fee is $125.

The issues are larger at the Knights of Columbus on Teed Drive. Installation of a sprinkler system at an estimated cost of $100,000 may require the club to install bathrooms equipped for the disabled and an elevator in the split-level building, said Town Clerk Brian Howard, a director of the group.

“We’ve been having meetings to deal with the future of the building,” said Howard. “It will be very difficult for us to meet the deadline. It’s very difficult to raise that kind of money, and getting people to be involved in a service organization is getting more difficult.”

The council has more than 200 members, many older and less active, Howard said.

Principal Assessor Richard Brown, who is also a director of the group, said the group is trying to come up with the best possible plan for its building needs. Whatever is decided, the 112-year-old group doesn’t plan to go out of existence, he said.

Two other veterans organizations in town have take different approaches to complying with the law.

The AMVETS Post obtained $60,000 toward the installation of a sprinkler system from the town’s Community Preservation Act funds, since its building was once the town’s poorhouse.

That system has not been completed, said Fire Captain James Hurley, the department’s fire prevention officer.

Recent renovations at the Disabled American Veterans chapter on High Street, which include bathrooms equipped for the disabled, have reduced its legal occupancy to below 100, Hurley said.

Sprinkler systems had already been installed at the Elks Lodge and at the Lantana and Lombardo’s function centers, Hurley said.

Two businesses, the Randolph Country Club on Mazzeo Drive and the Copa Grande Oasis nightclub on North Main Street have not yet complied with the law, he said.

The law gives a lot of discretion on enforcement to the local fire departments, Hurley said.

“We know the buildings and how they are used,” Hurley said. “When all is said and done, it will make the buildings safer. But it’s tough for the fraternal organizations.”

Local fire chiefs can give a waiver of up to one year if a contract is in place for the installation of a system.

Organizations and businesses can appeal orders to install sprinkler systems to a state board.

But a review of 14 decisions posted on the state Department of Fire Services Web site involving veterans or fraternal organizations, the board upheld the local order in most cases, modified the requirements in four, and overturned two orders.

Fred Hanson of The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.) may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.

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